Kyle stomped on his opponent's hand before it could retrieve the dropped sword, then chopped into the man's neck. He spared a glance at his dead mount, then turned his attention back towards his royal charge. She was gone, of course. He hadn't really expected her to listen, when he'd told her to stay at his side. "Ann! Princess, get back here!"

He spotted her easily, riding proudly on her white stallion with her long yellow hair flying back in the wind. In that instant, she looked magnificent. And made one hell of a target. Ann leaned back in her saddle as an arrow hit her just under the right breast, forcing a high-pitched cry from her throat.

Kyle broke into a sprint toward the grievously wounded princess, fully expecting her to fall before he could come to her aid. The knight felt a twinge of sadness, for no one so young deserved to die. But King Leo should never have allowed his careless daughter to join him in battle. What was worse, he had assigned Kyle to bodyguard her, only for the girl to run off at every opportunity. As Ann swayed and slumped forward against her horse's neck, the man who had wounded her turned to find a new target.

To Kyle's surprise, Ann did not fall, but righted herself and headed toward her shooter. A mounted enemy soldier came into her path, but she plunged her lance through his chest and he tumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust. Releasing the imbedded lance, the princess drew her sword and continued towards the unsuspecting archer.

Another cavalryman charged her, and the force of his first blow wrenched her parrying arm hard to the side. That she did not drop her sword impressed Kyle. She struck back at the soldier's leg, but he blocked and slammed his shield into her chest. The arrow stuck in her bent and she reeled, her face a grimace of agony. Her opponent grinned and tried to lop off her head. Ann ducked, then suddenly spurred her mount forward past her opponent. Before he could react, she turned and sliced through the back of his neck.

She had almost reached her target now, and as Kyle closed with her, he could see blood oozing from her mouth. From the location of her wound, her lung was surely pierced. The archer seemed to sense her coming now and aimed his bow her way. Her shield came up, stopping the arrow, and she rushed in. Her opponent could only draw his shortsword before being trampled beneath her horse's iron-shod hooves.

Kyle finally reached her as she turned to regard her fallen foe, dead as evidenced by the angle of his neck. Her face was as white as her mount's coat, and her eyes drowsy. "Your Highness!" Kyle called. "You need help!"

As if to ease its wounded rider's dismounting, Ann's horse sank onto its knees. The girl slowly turned her head to regard Kyle. "You're late," she said through the blood bubbling from her mouth, and slid out of her seat.

With a grunt, Kyle caught her falling body and headed for the surgeons' tent. "You're the one who ran away from me," he said.

"You wouldn't let me get into the thick of the battle."

"Yeah, well, you don't belong there."

She frowned. "What do you mean? I killed nine men."

"You needn't have put yourself in harm's way."

"If I were a prince, I bet you wouldn't say that."

"You're right, I suppose. Now shut up and rest."

She closed her eyes, but as Kyle began to walk a soldier with a battleaxe charged him. Having no time to spare, he dropped Ann and blocked a chopping blow with his shield. The axe cut deep into the wooden face, but stuck there for the moment Kyle needed to run its wielder through. Two more foes appeared, both wielding spears. For fearful seconds, Kyle could do nothing but back away from their long reach. But Ann saved him, rising to ram her sword into a warrior's side. As the dying man's partner turned to look, Kyle relieved him of a leg.

Before Kyle could thank his savior, the princess punched him, barely able to muster the strength to make it hurt. She hugged herself in agony immediately afterwards, and he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Sorry about dropping you."

She glared at him. "From now on, I walk and you just support me!"

They fought together to the surgeons' tent, though Ann choked and coughed and Kyle grew more and more worried she would die in his care. King Leo wouldn't like that. Sir Forrest stood outside at the end of a long line, a tourniquet cutting off the blood flow to his shattered shield arm. Everyone waiting here had dire wounds; lesser injuries were treated by the less skilled medics. Seeing Kyle, the grizzled knight asked, "You hurt?"

"Not particularly," Kyle replied. "Ann's the one who needs help."

"It's not that bad," Ann put in, smiling weakly as she leaned against him.

Kyle began to lead Ann forward, but Forrest said, "Hey, you can't jump the line. You know the surgeons have a policy of first-come, first-serve for critical injuries."

"She has a lung wound, and she's the damn princess! I'm sure they'd make an exception for-"

"I'm fine," Ann interrupted. "I'll wait like everyone else. I have two lungs."

Kyle didn't really think he could win an argument against her, and trudged away to find a cart for her to rest in. The princess complained a bit about the smell of the one he brought back, but fatigue got the best of her and she climbed in. Seeing the difficulty with which she breathed, Kyle told Sir Forrest, "Watch her," and headed for the surgeons' tent.

He burst inside and said loudly, "Princess Ann is dying of an arrow in her lung out here. Will someone help her?"

A balding surgeon moved to show Kyle the way out, but a handsome young man with delicate hands interposed himself between them. "Ann's hurt?"

"Very badly. A arrow pierced her between the ribs, and I'd wager it's a broadhead, too."

"Quick, take me to her!"

Kyle hastily dragged the man behind him, but asked, "Why are you so eager to break your surgeon's rules?"

"Ann saved my fiancee from that beastly Baron Tooric. I can't let her die!"

"She saved your fiancee? How?"

"Well, she saw the Baron straddling my Mary, about to rape her. So she rode over and struck off his head."

Same reckless Ann, Kyle thought, never thinking before acting. It had been Tooric's slaying which had started the current war, though Leo had never acknowledged his daughter's responsibility. But Kyle had to admit he found what she'd done admirable.

When they got back to the part of the line where Ann waited, though, Kyle's heart nearly stopped. King Leo bent over the cart in which the princess lay, sobbing as he cradled his daughter in his arms. Though the king was only in his early forties, right now he seemed very old indeed. "My sweet one," he said, "no, not you, my sweet, no!"

Kyle walked towards the king, though he had no idea what to say. Leo sensed his approach and wheeled on him. "You bastard! How could you let this happen?! Where were you, what were you doing? I trusted you!"

"I-I'm sorry, my lord. She was shot from afar, there was nothing-"

"Silence! Look at this! Damnit--damnit!" To Kyle's shock, Leo turned and kicked the cart where Ann lay.

And that was when Kyle noticed. The princess' near hand was not relaxed, but clutching the side of the cart very tightly, small fingernails digging into the soft wood. It was as if she was in terrible agony. Perhaps, he thought, her pain had come from the movement of the cart. He decided to test his theory by nudging the arrow sticking out of her, as gently as he could manage.

Ann yelped and sat bolt upright, grabbing at her wound. As her father stared, she began to cough blood. "Ann?!" he exclaimed. "What did he do to you? Kyle, are you secretly a sorcerer as well as a knight?"

"I wasn't dead," Ann admitted softly, a bashful grin on her face. "You just assumed I was immediately upon seeing me, and when you started talking I couldn't bring myself to stop you. You haven't shown such tenderness towards me in years."

Kyle exhaled. "But why would you assume she was dead?" he asked Leo.

"This is a cart for transporting the corpses of the fallen. So when I saw her in it, I..."

Looking at the thing, Kyle realized he had seen bodies piled into similar vehicles. But he had only seen a plain, empty cart. "Well, surgeon. I think it's time you got to work, before she really dies."

The young surgeon nodded, then climbed into the cart with Ann. "Franz!" the princess beamed as she recognized him. "I'm glad you're the one to treat me! Go heavy on the poppy, right? It hurts!"

Kyle looked at his king. "Your daughter's a real handful. What a crazy young lady."

"I heard that!"

Leo shrugged, wiping away the tears that had escaped his eyes. "I'm just glad she's alive."

"Me too. And I'm also glad to be done with her."

"What do you mean? You're still going to be guarding Ann."

"What? Every other knight only babysat her for one battle!"

"Yes, because you're the first one to come through a battle with her without serious injury."

Kyle slapped his head. For once, his skills had worked against him. "Can I at least keep her on a leash?"

"Shut up! I'm not your slave!"

"Your Majesty," a knight's voice called, "you are needed. Prince Darock is ready to negotiate terms of surrender."

Leo bent over the cart once more and kissed his daughter's cheek. Then he walked away, leaving Kyle alone with Ann and Franz. "For what it's worth," Ann said, "I'm glad you survived."

"The day I die babysitting some spoiled, undisciplined little girl is the day I stop being a knight."

Ann's voice was barely audible now. "Yeah, because you'll be dead. Anyway, I'm a decent fighter, right?"

"I suppose you are. Now shut up and let Franz fix your lung."

The surgeon did something that made her gasp in pain. "Fine. I'm feeling tired anyway. Don't let anyone take my gear while I'm sleeping." Finally, she fell silent.

Kyle examined the princess' sword and shield. They looked a lot finer than his own gear. Maybe if he could get into her favor, she could convince whoever made her arms to give him a set as well. Hearing her struggle for breath, he took Ann's hand. "Don't you die on me, princess."

Franz, he noticed, was smiling at him.